Monday, March 17, 2014

Whether we are watching or not, the sun rises every day and sets every evening. On a regular basis, 23-year-old photographer Shane Hawk turns his eye towards the sky to document the daily magic that takes place overhead. Based in California, Hawk began photographing with just an iPhone. He has since moved his way to more advanced equipment but, regardless of the camera, he says he "finds comfort behind a lens."

From strikingly vivid sunsets and misty golden skies to the gray clouds that cover a mountaintop, Hawk certainly has an eye for beautiful places. His spectacular collection is filled with powerfully vibrant colors that seem electric. He relies on light and reflections to capture the intriguing effects which blur the horizon line so that where land stops and sky begins is often unclear. Each one of his calm, secluded scenes conveys vast emotions which remind us of just how small we really are in this world.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Many saw the lunar eclipse that occurred on December 21, 2010, which happened to coincide with the date of the December Solstice - only the second time since 1638. For those who weren't able to marvel at this natural phenomena, time-lapse photography captured what we missed. The event took five hours and 38 minutes and was photographed every two minutes. Out of hundreds of shots taken, 61 photos were compiled into this long, sequential series of the increasingly-shadowed moon.

As you scroll through the image, you quickly see the amazing transformation between the eclipse’s start and finish.The clarity of these images, contrasted with the pitch-black background, makes this photograph feel almost unreal. It's yet another reminder to us that the greatest wonders of our world come from nature.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

For a BBC program about penguins called Penguins - Spy in the Huddle, a special camera was designed to look like a penguin egg. After placing the egg-cam amidst a penguin colony, it was met by a curious striated caracara who eventually snatched the device and took flight. With the falcon's ascension into the air, the egg-cam managed to capture some stunning aerial shots of the penguin colony below—the first video of its kind to be filmed by a bird.

To the bird's dismay, the "egg" fell out of the caracara's grasp and into the field of vision of a couple of turkey vultures. They, too, were intrigued by the egg-like structure. It was especially enticing because the rest of the eggs in the area were already hatched and these predators were eager to crack into a meal for themselves. After a few pecks with their beak at the cleverly disguised camera, they wound up knocking it down a hill, right back into the penguin colony.

In his largest mural to date, street artist Rone painted this unbelievable five-story mural on the side of a residential building in Berlin, Germany. It took the Melbourne-based artist five days, working methodically around the windows and balconies of the building to create these three photo-realistic images of model Teresa Oman. The wall, which was curated by the Strychinin Gallery as part of Project M, is conveniently located at Nollendorfplatz right next to a train line so residents can see the incredible work of art on their daily commute.

Interested in the relationship between beauty and decay, Rone is known for depicting glamorous women on rough or crumbling surfaces. While these portraits appear perfectly detailed from a distance, a closer look reveals stylistic marks of deterioration and wear.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Created by photographer Cornelia Hediger, Doppelgänger (which means "double walker" in German) and Doppelgänger II are a beautiful exploration of the self in relation to the world around us. Inspired by the many fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, the Switzerland-based artist pieces together multiple images into a grid to create slightly misaligned realities and distortions.

The oddly sized and exaggerated components produce compelling narratives about body image, self-worth, and our conscious versus our unconscious thoughts. Hediger steps in front of the camera to perform as every subject. To build the backgrounds, she often transforms her apartment with fresh paint or wallpaper, new lighting, and intriguing accessories. She can spend anywhere from 8 hours to three days shooting a project, and then she non-digitally assembles the fragmented pieces together. In doing so, Hediger creates visually-split personalities set within uncomfortable scenarios.

"The work depicts a psychological struggle between my Doppelgänger and myself. The project, in itself, is a form of voyeurism and the characters act out this power play between the ego and the alter ego. The idea of the Doppelgänger emblematizes the repressed other within the self; It is the past hunting the present," explains Hediger.

Hoping to have a personal space to escape to for much needed relaxation, Finnish designer Robin Falck set out to build his own little getaway. Rather than being held up by government red-tape, he decided to avoid the need for a building permit by constructing a live-in structure that's under 96 square feet. After conceiving the design and getting approval from an architect, Falck began to make his own private micro hut.

Built on the Finnish archipelago of Sipoo, Falck has erected a tiny, two-story structure known as Nido that features a fully functional kitchen, bathroom, living room, and a lofted bedroom. The compact home includes a large angled window that takes up nearly an entire wall, giving the visual impression of extra space. It also allows for natural light during the day and a view of the stars at night.

To further divert one's attention from the residence's size, Falck added an open-air lounge area. Attached to the side of the cabin is a small deck for enjoying the natural surroundings that were left undisturbed during the entire building process. The whole project was completed in just two weeks and used locally recycled materials for the construction.